Glasgow-born, Toronto-based synthwave producer Michael Oakley has recently shared the eclectic song ‘Real Life’, lifted from his latest album Odyssey which was released on the 14th of May via NewRetroWave Records. Featured on the album, listeners will find well-known artists Ollie Wride and Dana Jean Phoenix. Odyssey has already reached #8 in the Worldwide Album Charts on Bandcamp while peaking at #4 on the Electronic Album Chart, contributing to Michael Oakley’s impressive play count of just under 8 million across platforms.
The producer has been supported by numerous publications including Huffington Post, Daily Express, Side-Line, Analogue Trash, Electricity Club and Vehlinggo. Michael Oakley has earned significant support from NewRetroWave with features on their YouTube channel with his music appearing in numerous games, including Wave Break: High Tide and Retro Drive.
Michael Oakley was born in Glasgow, Scotland but moved to Los Angeles for a few years before settling in Toronto, Canada. The producer calls upon the classics for inspiration, citing the likes of George Michael, Sting, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and Pink Floyd. However, his own sound calls to mind the modern works of artists such as The Midnight, FM84, Toto and Duran Duran.
A gentle moment, a real embrace – nostalgic memories that revisit past moments and entomb themselves in the mind. Michael Oakley acknowledges a broken past while still hoping to incite change in the future in the bewitching song, ‘Real Life’. Stirrings of an old saxophone here and chorusing vocals there lend weight to the track as the listener journeys down a path or regrets and tender moments provided by the artist, vocalized by powerful vocals that call to mind the likes of Phil Collins.
